International Higher Education, Boston College Center for International Higher Education, 48, Summer, pp. 16-18, 2007.
On May 3, 2007, a group of students took over the rector's office at the University of Sao Paulo (USP). The group claims to represent the university's 80,000 students and does have the support of the unions of the university's administra- tive personnel, the teachers union, and some professors. USP is a state institution, supported by the state of Sao Paulo and one of the most important in Latin America. One-third of its students are in master's and PhD programs. There are 15,000 administrative employees and about 5,000 academics, most of them with a doctoral degree. In 2004, the university granted 2,100 PhDs, 3,300 MAs, and 5,500 professional degrees in all fields of knowledge at 68 units, on the main campus in the city of Sao Paulo and on campuses in other cities in the state. The university receives 5 percent of the state of Sao Paulo's tax revenues, which amounted last year to about 2.2 billion reais (US$1.1 billion). Within its budget, the university is free to use the funds as it sees fit and can also obtain revenues from other sources. To enter the university, students need to pass an exam that can be extremely competitive in fields like medicine, engineering, or law. There is no tuition. Most doctoral students are able to get fellowships as stipends. Professors at USP are the major recipients of research grants from the Brazilian federal and state governments.

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